


Your Princess Is In Another Castle

by ShadowHaloedAngel



Series: Castles and Princesses [2]
Category: Ocean's 8 (2018)
Genre: Covid-19 Related, Dogs, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Lockdowns, Mario Kart References, Pandemics, Video & Computer Games, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:22:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23381626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowHaloedAngel/pseuds/ShadowHaloedAngel
Summary: Nine Ball decides if she's going to be locked down, she'd rather it was with Tammy and her kids.
Relationships: Nine Ball/Tammy (Ocean's)
Series: Castles and Princesses [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681723
Comments: 2
Kudos: 47
Collections: Lock Down Fest





	Your Princess Is In Another Castle

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Amaranthe(awildlokiappears) for the appearance of Luna and Quark.

"C'mon... stop lookin' a' me like that. Yeah I made you walk, so wha'? It's like less than a hundred yards from the car ta the door and your fat ass needs the exercise. Jeez. I know I asked for a laid-back dog bu' you are ridiculous."

Nine Ball tugged the leash a little, trying to shift the huge bulk of the shaggy black Newfoundland, reluctantly on her heels. 

"Look. I's nah hard. C'mon. Ya remember ya girlfrien' from the shelter?"

The dog eyeballed her suspiciously. 

"Luna, righ'? Remember her?"

Despite himself the Newfoundland was starting to look interested. 

"Yeah, well I don' think she'd be real happy with the attitude ya givin' me righ' now, an' she's jus' inside there. So how abou' you stop bein' more of a drama queen than Daphne, an' we jus' ge' inside, huh?"

"...Boof."

Quark almost reached a jog as Nine Ball closed the gate behind them and followed him up the path. 

She rang the bell, and was greeted by the familiar sounds of running feet, and the new sound of deep, sonorous barking. She shifted her backpack more securely up on her shoulder and grinned as the door opened. 

Tammy looked relieved as she stepped back to let the two of them in, and Leslie paused to tug her into a one armed hug and kiss her warmly on the cheek, feeling the way Tammy let herself relax for a moment into the warm strength of Leslie's body before she drew herself back up and squared her shoulders. 

"Hey... good to see you. I wasn't sure you'd make it."

"I cu' it a little fine, bu' I'm here. Couldn' keep me away baby."

"And this is Quark?"

Leslie grinned. "This is he."

"NIIIIIIIIINE!"

"HI NINE! Have you come to stay with us?!"

Derek and Keri came running down the stairs and Leslie laughed, crouching down to greet both of them, sweeping Derek up onto her hip. 

"Tha's righ'. Figured if I was gonna be stuck somewhere I'd rather be stuck wi' people, an' you guys are my favourite people in the whole worl' righ'? So where else was I gonna go. Also figured your momma migh' wan' a li'l help keepin' up wi' you two menaces."

Derek wriggled and Leslie put him down again. 

"Did you bring us anything?"

"Well..."

"Oh come on you two, you can't expect Leslie to bring you something every time-"

"Oh WOW that dog is HUGE!"

Quark was looking around with more interest than Nine had seen since she picked him up that morning, sniffing occasionally, obviously trying to evaluate whether she had lied to him about the presence of Luna. 

Keri plastered herself to his neck, and Quark remained entirely sanguine about it. Leslie wasn't sure if it was just that he was used to children, or that reacting would have cost more energy than he was willing to expend. 

Just as she was about to ask, a large St Bernard appeared in the doorway to the kids' playroom, and boofed. Quark boofed in recognition, tail wagging rapidly, and Luna trotted over to gently lick Keri and then to sit opposite Quark. Derek leaned easily against her huge bulk, obviously comfortable with her. His weight didn't make much difference to the impressive St Bernard. 

"...So you all good here then?"

"We are actually. I wasn't sure, but you're right, we have the space for both of them to be able to run in, and I've got good fencing up because of the kids. With the little pond in the back in the trees there's somewhere for Quark to swim too. Newfies like to swim, right?"

Leslie eyed the large mass of black fur. 

"...I think as a breed they love i'. This one 'm not too sure abou', bu' I guess we'll see."

"We're honestly just fortunate enough to have the space, and there aren't many people who can foster the bigger dogs. It's great that the shelter's seeing so many people step up, but... well it wouldn't be fair for either of them to end up in an apartment."

"No, i' wouldn'," Leslie smiled warmly at Tammy, then she shifted her attention back to the kids and clapped. "Alrigh', so I did actually bring you something, bu' I'm gonna go unpack an' ge' things situated before I bring it ou', okay?"

"Awww Niiiiiine!"

"No whining, c'mon. Be good for your momma."

Tammy shot her a grateful smile as Leslie slung the bag back up onto her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek again, clasping her hip for a moment. 

"Alrigh', lemme go take my stuff upstairs an' I'll come back down okay?"

Tammy nodded, then clapped. 

"Alright, c'mon you two, snack time..."

"Okay mom!"

Quark perked up at the mention of food until Luna gave a low rumble and he subsided with a whine. 

Tammy led the kids through into the kitchen and sat them up at the table with juice and apple slices, while Luna showed Quark the location of the food bowls. It was obvious that they recognised each other and Tammy was glad that they'd been able to foster both of them together. She wasn't sure how long they'd really be able to keep them longterm, but she knew how important it was for the dogs to have some time outside of the shelter. 

She gave Leslie time to get her things unpacked, focusing her own nervous energy on wiping down the counter, keeping half an eye on the kids. Luna had already proved to be excellent with them, and from what she'd seen of Quark he seemed to be unfazed by her two little balls of energy. She was glad that Leslie was here. The shelter in place order made an awful lot of sense, but she knew if she'd been here on her own with the kids she would be going insane sooner rather than later. Leslie being around just made everything feel better. Officially the kids were allowed to go to their dad's place, but James had called her to say that he and Jon were both under quarantine after Jon had come back from a business trip to Italy, which meant two weeks where the kids had to stay with her. And she felt better knowing Leslie wasn't on her own too. 

She heard Leslie come back downstairs and felt familiar arms sliding around her waist. She allowed herself to lean back into Leslie's body and smiled as her lover pressed a kiss to her temple. 

"So what did you bring the kids?"

"Brough' my Wii an' some of my favourite games. Figured it woul' give us something to do while we were stuck inside, an I'd like ta share some of my favourites with them. An' with you. Go' some fitness games too, an' stuff we can do together, bu' mostly the stuff I loved as a kid."

"Oh, I'm not much of a gamer..." Tammy demurred, but Leslie shifted back, lifting her hand and kissing the back of it. 

"I know ya don' think you are baby bu'... trus' me? Maybe give it a try?"

Tammy hesitated and nodded. 

"Okay, sure, if you really think..."

Leslie grinned. 

"I do. Alrigh' kids, c'mon, plates and glasses in the sink an' you can come see wha' I brought you."

Derek and Keri both hopped up, obediently putting their dishes in the sink and following Leslie into the playroom. 

"Now, we gonna need to pass the time, an' I know you got schoolwork to do too, so wha' we're gonna do is when you've done your schoolwork for the day, we gonna sit down here an' I'm gonna teach you how to play some of my all time favourite games. I even brough' some stuff we can all play together, and things we can do to keep movin' on days when the weather's nah so hot. Tha' soun' good?"

"THAT'S AMAZING NINE YOU'RE THE BEST!"

"That's so awesome what did you bring us!"

Leslie laughed, pulling a stack of cases out of her bag. "Alrigh', we go'... the Legend of Spyro trilogy, Crash of the Titans, Mario Party, Mario Kart, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Super Mario All-Stars. Gotta give you a good all-round education. Also got a couple of Just Dance games an' Wii Sports."

"Thank you Nine!" 

Both of the kids threw themselves at her, hugging her tight, and Leslie laughed and hugged them both back, winking at Tammy over the top of the kids' heads. 

"So, you two done ya work for today?"

"Yes!"

"Really? Le's ask your momma."

All three sets of eyes turned to Tammy, standing in the doorway with her arms folded across her front, but she smiled. 

"...Alright. You have done your work for today so if Nine Ball wants to play with you, that's okay. You need to respect her stuff and be very careful. Promise?"

"Yes mom!"

"Okay, good. Have fun you three. Dinner will be at 6:30."

"We'll be ready on time," Leslie reassured her with a wink, and Tammy nodded, turning to leave them in peace and to get a little time for herself. There were chores that desperately needed doing that had been next to impossible with the kids under her feet, and staying up late to try to finish them only went so far. Honestly she was exhausted, and as much as she just wanted a nap, she knew this was her best opportunity to get ahead and get the environment into a better situation for all four of them. 

~

Tammy was about to call everyone for dinner when Derek and Keri came in, Nine Ball following them, hands in her pockets. Tammy blinked a little, surprised, but she smiled. 

"...Right on time. Has everybody washed their hands?"

"Yes mommy."

"Dinner smells good babe."

"Thank you," Tammy smiled, dishing out the pasta and vegetable sauce she'd made, surprised when Leslie appeared beside her, picking up bowls and taking them to the table. 

She carried the rest over and made sure everyone had a drink. 

"Alright, did you have a nice afternoon?"

"Yes mommy, it was amazing, Leslie's really interesting and good at games and she's a really good teacher! You should play with us tomorrow!"

Tammy smiled as she served out salad onto everyone's side plates. 

"...I'll see, darling. Dinner now, alright? Then bath and bed."

"Awwww.... do we have to?"

"Don' talk back to your mother. We talked abou' this. Your momma works very hard to take care of the two of you an' so when she asks you to do something, you do it. Righ'?"

Derek and Keri settled in their seats and nodded solemnly. 

"Yes Nine Ball. Sorry mommy."

Tammy paused a moment, a little taken by surprise, but she tried to cover her confusion by adding a sprinkling of cheese to the kids' food. 

"...That's alright. Now, eat up, then baths and bed and maybe Nine Ball can read you a bedtime story?"

Derek and Keri turned matching pleading expressions on her, and Leslie laughed. 

"Alrigh', I think I can do that."

"Yay!"

~

Tammy had just about finished the clean up from dinner when Nine Ball came back down again. She announced her presence the way she so often did, wrapping her arms around Tammy from behind. Tammy let herself sink back into Leslie's body and closed her eyes, feeling her lover nuzzling into her hair. 

"...Hey..."

"Hey. How're you doing?"

"I'm... okay."

"Really?"

"...I can't afford not to be, Leslie..." Tammy answered with a sigh, reaching up to curl her fingers into Nine's heavy locks, finally letting the tiredness she was feeling bleed into her voice. 

Nine pressed a kiss to the top of her head, cradling Tammy close. 

"Nobody's okay righ' now."

"No, but as far as the kids are concerned, I need to keep things as normal as I can, and just... manage things and keep it together. And I've been... doing that on my own. And I know... like, I don't say that to make you feel bad, and it's not James' fault that he and Jon are sick, and I'm just... very tired. It's so much harder having them home all the time and still trying to get everything else done that needs doing. And that's on top of trying to manage the business."

"What are you doing with that right now?"

"Logistics are essential, so I'm trying to keep it running from here. I've sent home everyone who can work from home. Everyone who has to come in has to stay six feet from everyone minimum. Everyone's getting paid, whether or not they can work at the moment. I'm not the only one with kids. But I'm lucky that... with the job we pulled, I've got the capital to keep this running for a while without putting any stress on my staff. I'm lucky. I've got good staff and I trust them, and the setup we have doesn't require many people so we're pretty small."

Leslie made an understanding noise, gently rubbing Tammy's hips. 

"Proud of you, baby. Ya doin' a good job. For a lot of people. Bu' ya not doin' i' alone."

"I know... I know. I'm sorry. And I'm glad you're here. I'm just so tired..."

"I know babe. An' I can tell. Bu' I'm here now, an' I'm no' goin' anywhere. Nobody's goin' anywhere. Bu' I'm here, an' when James an' Jon are clear, then they can take the kids too for a li'l bit so you an' I can jus' have a break..."

"Mmmm... that sounds good?" Tammy sighed, closing her eyes, and Nine Ball pressed another kiss to her temple. 

"Good. Alrigh' then, we got a plan. You want a drink, baby?"

"Please..."

Leslie nodded, stepping away from Tammy, albeit reluctantly, and crossing to the fridge. There was a bottle of white wine in the door, and she pulled it out and poured two glasses, setting them on the table. 

"I'll jus' go take the dogs ou' so they can have a las'... you sit here an' jus' breathe, okay?"

Tammy nodded, settling at the kitchen table, bracing herself while Nine put both the dogs on leashes and led them out of the back door into the garden. Luna seemed perfectly content, and Quark wasn't dragging his paws nearly as much as he had been earlier. She glanced over at the two huge dog beds which had been set up for them. It was nice to be able to give other lives somewhere safe to be at the moment too, especially when the world outside was descending into chaos. Luna certainly had taken to the kids, and Quark had seemed unfazed when he'd met them earlier. They were certainly an extra responsibility, but she had a feeling that if anything happened, one or both of them would raise the alarm. They weren't a substitute for a babysitter or anything of that kind, but... she still felt better having them here. 

She felt even better having Leslie here. 

Tammy took a sip from her wine, closing her eyes and savouring the cool feel of it on her tongue. She hadn't had wine in the fridge last time she'd checked, but since this was her favourite, she suspected Leslie had brought the bottle with her. Another treat hidden in her bag. James had been a good husband, he really had, and he'd been considerate, and he still was, but Nine was... different again. She was kind in little ways, not big dramatic gestures, and she was painfully practical, and it was so helpful to have someone like that in her corner. 

Warm hands settled on her shoulders, rubbing gently, working into the nape of her neck, and Tammy let her head fall forward with a groan. 

Leslie chuckled. 

"How're you doin' there, babe?"

"Mmmm... better? But sleep will help even more."

"Be' you need a good nigh's sleep... How abou' I take care of breakfast?"

"...You hate getting up early."

"I'm here, which means I'm gonna fi' into ya routine as a family. Gotta keep the kids on a routine, righ'? Keep things normal? Ain' gonna help you if I come in an' fuck everything up. So I'm here, an' I'm gonna conform ta wha' you need of me."

Tammy laughed. 

"You've never been a conformist, honey."

Nine chuckled, low and warm and it felt so good on Tammy's skin. 

"I don' conform to the man, because I don' respect the man. I respec' you though, an I respect your family. So I'm gonna step up while I'm here ta make sure I'm doin' wha' needs doin', an' tha' you don' have ta handle everything on ya own."

"Mmmm... does that mean you're going to take me to bed?"

"'S definitely my end game, bu' I had somethin' else in mind firs' if ya up to it?"

Tammy groaned, letting her head fall back to look up at Nine, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips.

"What?"

"Well, the way I see i', you've been under a lo' of stress for a while, an' maybe you migh' sleep better if we work ou' a little of that tension firs'?"

"...I am way too tired for sex. Not that you're not enticing. Because you are. And I also know how good you are at the kind of sex that leaves us both sated without actually requiring me to do very much at all. But I honestly don't think I can even get horny right now."

Leslie laughed and leaned down to wrap around Tammy in a big warm hug. 

"Tha' much I ge', baby, but how abou' we go play a li'l Mario Kart? Bes' game for workin' ou' frustration."

Tammy groaned, but she pushed herself up from the chair, leaning into Nine again, letting the taller woman take her weight and wrap an arm around her to help her through into the playroom. Tammy was pleasantly surprised by how clean it was, and she shot Leslie an enquiring look. 

Nine Ball smiled at her. 

"After we finished a few games I tol' them ta clean i' up or we wouldn' play anymore."

"...How are you so good at this parenting thing?"

"I got sisters."

Tammy laughed and flopped on the couch, grateful that she and James had invested in a comfortable one for in here. It was the kids' room, but it was a family space for watching movies or playing games, and the couch was an important part of making the space enjoyable and usable. 

Leslie set the game up and tucked up next to her, handing Tammy a controller. 

Tammy stared at it a moment, then leaned up to kiss her. 

"...Why did you really come all the way out here? things would have been so much calmer if you'd stayed where you were."

"I mean, maybe so, bu' i' woulda been lonely and I woulda been worried abou' you, so i' seemed better all ways roun' if I came ou' ta help you and the kids. Sides. I realised somethin' important."

Tammy tilted her head, intrigued. 

"...What?"

Nine grinned. 

"Realised my princess was in another castle."

Tammy stared at her open-mouthed for a minute. 

"Wha'?"

"...I just can't believe that one of the most romantic things anyone has ever said to me is a Mario reference."

Leslie laughed. 

"You reco'nised that?"

Tammy grinned. 

"Of course I did. And now I'm going to kick your ass."

Nine elbowed her playfully, shifting to face the tv, controller in both hands as Tammy squared up next to her, still grinning. 

"Oh, it is /on/, baby."

"Try not to cry too hard when I beat you."

"It is /on/."

**Author's Note:**

> Second submission to Quarantine Fest! And yes, more foster dogs.


End file.
